


fault not the hearts which are in love ; 相恋之心无罪

by khrysallis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Angst, Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-05-03 11:56:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5289770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khrysallis/pseuds/khrysallis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(actor!au) When Yifan is casted opposite rising star and rival Luhan in Xu Jinglei’s newest movie, the last thing he expects is for real feelings to come into play. ‘Messy’ doesn’t even cut it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	fault not the hearts which are in love ; 相恋之心无罪

**Author's Note:**

> written for the yifantasy fic fest :D one of those AUs I've been wanting to work on for a long while, and this prompt basically called out to me. Enjoy! (More notes at the end of the fic~)

He flashes his signature megawatt smile at the cameras the moment he climbs out of the limousine, sending every girl present at the scene into a screaming frenzy – the way it always has.

_Wu Yifan_ – or more popularly known as Kris Wu – is a household name, his face and model-like proportions gracing the bedroom walls of many a girl, and his good looks and acting skills are constantly praised by various media outlets. After all, Yifan did not win the Best Actor Award in every single award ceremony for three consecutive years for nothing.

Yifan is a firm believer that this year's result is going to be the same, as he walks down the red carpet bearing his trademark lopsided grin with utmost confidence. There's no reason why he wasn't going to win, seeing as his movie had hit it big. People loved watching Wu Yifan in the role of a mafia leader with his platinum blond hair and a cigar stuck between his lips, it seems, and the movie had smashed multiple sales records within the first two days of its opening, raking in millions in profit.

It's as though Yifan was born to take the movie industry by storm, and to hell if he doesn't enjoy every moment of it.

That's when the crowd grows even wilder, and, much to Yifan's surprise, they begin chanting the name 'Luhan' instead of 'Wu Yifan'. The smile on his face immediately freezes when Yifan turns around and finds the subject of the crowd's new fixation. It's not as though Yifan isn't familiar with the new name. Luhan is a rookie in the entertainment industry, but he's also a fast-rising star who is gaining _enough_ recognition to threaten Yifan's position, one which no one has been able to do since the year after Yifan's silver screen debut.

Yifan isn't going to admit that he feels _threatened_ , however. His pride would not let him.

And so Yifan employs his charm card, deliberately waiting for Luhan who's still bowing in greeting at his fans along the way so that they can head down the rest of the red carpet together. It's good publicity, for a senior to watch over a rookie on the scene, and Yifan's going to milk every moment for all it's worth. He can almost see the headlines of the Entertainment section of major newspapers tomorrow, with his and Luhan's photo taking centrefold on the write-up for the event. It also doesn't kill to be polite, so.

Sporting windswept hair which has been freshly-dyed brown (Yifan knows this because just days ago Luhan's hair had been bubble-gum pink for an ad, which has gone rather viral on the Internet and is making its presence known daily on his Weibo homepage), Luhan looks almost petite when he's walking beside Yifan, his features soft and rather feminine compared to Yifan's strong jaw and largish features. Yifan can almost see why the general populace thinks of Luhan as endearing; his eyes are wide and innocent as they drink in the sight of his fans, almost disbelieving of his own popularity. Yifan scoffs internally; all that will soon be flushed down the drain, and Luhan will turn into yet another two-faced monster off-camera when the popularity goes over his head. Yifan has seen enough rookies trodding down that rotten path to know by now, and it's always the most innocent ones who will turn into the most corrupted.

A brilliant actor is good at concealing their true selves in the presence of others, after all. Yifan himself can't escape from that mould – vulnerability and excessive kindness are detrimental characteristics to have in the cutthroat world of entertainment, and Yifan can't afford to have the others taking advantage of him easily. It would spell his downfall faster than he can ever say his name.

His acting skills kick into action the moment he stands with Luhan and the emcee for the red carpet event on stage, acutely aware of the cameras trained on them, and his smile grows wide and as genuine as he can manage. The emcee is someone new to the industry as well, a certain Jackson Wang whom Yifan _thinks_ is a rookie singer, and he can see the slight tremble in his hands as Jackson holds onto the cue cards for dear life. Yifan isn't surprised, though; emceeing a red carpet event is a big break for anyone who's been in the industry for less than a year, but it also exerts great pressure on them to do well _or else_. The invisible guillotine hanging above their heads is all too easy to visualise. 

And Yifan guesses he should have anticipated the first question that's being thrown at him the moment they're done sharing pleasantries and introductions between the three of them. It's an open game from that point onwards. "So, Kris, Luhan here is touted to be your closest rival this year, despite being the new face on the block." Jackson starts, and the uncomfortable smile on his face is the only saving grace for him in Yifan's books. Yifan surmises it must be written on the cue cards. The industry is known to be brutally honest, almost to the point of callousness even, and the event directors must have arranged for Yifan and Luhan to appear on the red carpet together. Typical. "Do you think he's going to take your place as the most sought-after actor in the near future?"

Yifan laughs in what he hopes is his most carefree manner, feeling Luhan's attentive gaze trained on him. "If he thinks he's fit enough to be my rival, he's more than welcomed to try. A little competition is healthy for progress." He says, grabbing Luhan's outstretched hand and squeezing just _enough_ for it to be a silent warning.

Instead of being intimidated, though, Luhan squeezes his hand back with equal intensity, and a jolt of electricity runs down Yifan's spine at that. It's a sign that deep down, he's just as competitive as Yifan is. "It's a tremendous honour to be able to be viewed as your rival," Luhan replies, and already Yifan can feel the thrill of a challenge.

This is just the beginning, and Yifan gains the upper hand by winning the Best Actor Award yet again later that night, a category which Luhan was also nominated in. This time, he doesn't even bother hiding the gloating smile as he strides past Luhan to accept his award on stage. He wonders what it would take to break that amiable façade of Luhan's, and how soon his perfect porcelain mask will shatter.

ӂ 

"You have a new love call, Mr Popular!"

Yifan groggily looks up from the bowl of cereal he's having when a booklet slides across the dining table and stops right in front of him, eyeing his manager questioningly. On most days, Yifan enjoys the company of his manager Henry, but on mornings when he's pretty much sleep-deprived and would very much like it if he could dive back into bed, he rather wishes he could throttle Henry to hell and back instead. Henry's chirpy personality and even brighter smile _can_ be rather headache-inducing, and today is one of such mornings.

"You got me out of bed at ass o'clock in the morning to tell me this?" He asks – snarls, actually – and shoots Henry a death glare, but not after darting his gaze towards the time stamped across his phone's lockscreen for extra emphasis. It's no later than ten, which is as good as dawn in Yifan's books. Unfortunately, after being Yifan's manager for three years and running now, Henry has grown immune to his threatening looks, and plops down on the chair across Yifan with an unrepentant grin.

"It's a big deal, man." Henry defends himself, jabbing his finger at the booklet which contains the surface details of the supposed new movie. "Xu Jinglei's the director. You know how most actors will become worldwide sensations after starring in her movies, _if_ they do reasonably well in them and catch the film festival judges' attentions."

Now that small detail has gotten Yifan minutely interested. He doesn't let it show, though, opting to maintain his grumpy look as he pulls the booklet closer to himself and starts leafing through the pages. Henry, ever the kind of person who never liked going through movie offers for Yifan before the actor takes a look at them himself, grabs the opportunity to scoot into the chair next to Yifan's, poring over its contents with his charge.

The final traces of sleep finally leaves Yifan's being the moment he's done reading through the thin booklet, and he looks up at Henry with wide eyes. "Seriously? You accepted a movie like this for me?"

This time, Henry seems affronted by the accusation, and he's up in arms as he retorts, "Hey, don't blame me! This is _your_ own doing, dude. I haven't even said yes to Jinglei _jie_ yet!"

"Me?" Yifan hits back disbelievingly. "What did I even do?"

"'I'd like to take on a role which challenges societal taboos, one that will surprise the viewers due to the boldness of the idea, but will make them intrigued at the same time to want to watch it.' – That's what you said during your interview after the awards ceremony two weeks ago, isn't it?" Henry recites Yifan's answer word by word with astounding accuracy, and it has Yifan groaning aloud. For all that Henry is supposed to be Yifan's manager, the man can be quite scatter-brained most of the time, which had gotten Yifan into quite a bit of trouble during his initial debut days. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times, and Yifan wonders why Henry's capable of remembering the most inconvenient of details when Yifan needs him _not_ to recall them.

相恋之心无罪, the movie is called, a rather tame name considering the fact that it's centred around two secret agents who have been tasked to infiltrate the biggest syndicate in China, in order to bust a long-standing drug deal that no one has ever been able to cripple in all the years that the investigation has been going on. But there's where the twist comes in: one of the main characters is gay, and with the amount of time spent with his partner, trying to stay afloat in the murky underworld without losing themselves to what they're fighting against, he slowly falls in love with his partner, who's dating the daughter of the syndicate's leader and is about to wed into the family as part of their scheme to get into the heart of things.

That's where Yifan comes in, designated by Xu Jinglei to play the character who's struggling with his sexuality, all because of the things he had said in his interview, and the irony sets in.

"It's not a bad plot, if you think about it." Yifan muses, his gaze still lingering upon the sketch of the character which he's supposed to play, should he accept the offer. It's a challenging role, to say the least, one which will put Yifan's ability at expressing emotions and internal conflicts to the test. "Exactly what China needs. A topic which invokes the frown on everyone's faces. God knows how they've been avoiding the topic on LGBT for so long."

"I know Jinglei _jie_ 's name carries a heavy weight in the industry, but are you _sure_ you want to accept the offer?" Henry suddenly turns extremely serious, and it's one side of his which Yifan doesn't like dealing with, mainly because he's used to seeing Henry's bubbly side. That, and Henry would usually broach subjects which Yifan would rather not discuss about when Henry's in his no-nonsense mood.

Playing at nonchalance, Yifan shrugs as unaffectedly as he can, running his hand through his now-brown hair. "I don't see why not. It's going to be a good experience, I'm sure."

Henry continues eyeing him sceptically, in a way which makes him look like a constipated chipmunk. Yifan doesn't point that out though; Henry can pack quite a punch, and he definitely won't hesitate in using violence against Yifan if he must. This will be a _must_ in Henry's books. "Even if you don't talk to me much about your private life, doesn't mean I don't know what's going on between you and Kai."

Yifan stops breathing for a moment. Kai, or more fondly known as Jongin, is Yifan's on-again, off-again fling whenever the man comes to China for promotions with his group. They've met through one of the prestigious international award ceremonies where Yifan had been the presenter, and they had both hit it off rather well from the very beginning. That relationship had soon spiralled down a path of taboo, and more often than not, Jongin would make his way to Yifan's penthouse to spend the night instead of staying at the designated hotel. Yifan still doesn't know how Jongin manages to convince his managers that it's going to be fine, especially when there are many stalkers following after his every move, but they make their friends-with-benefits arrangement work. The sex is good, so Yifan can't find a reason for complaint, as long as no one discovers about their forbidden relationship.

It can be damning, when the mindset of both the Chinese and Koreans are still horribly traditional and unaccepting of people who deviate from the norm. If the news gets out that they're fooling around behind the scenes, it may as well spell the end of both their careers. But there's where the thrill comes in – the higher the stakes, the more passionate the fucking will be.

"What about me and Kai? We're just friends." Yifan says with a straight face, but his phone betrays him just then when it lights up with a message from Jongin, telling Yifan that he'll see Yifan later that evening. No matter how fast Yifan's reflexes had been in sending his phone back to sleep, it doesn't stop Henry from taking notice of the text.

He decidedly doesn't like the way Henry raises a knowing brow at him. "Yeah, sure. Because _friends_ spend their free time with their hands down each other's pants and their dicks up each other's asses." He comments, but his words reveal no malice. "The public may accept you acting as a homosexual character, but it doesn't mean that they'll welcome the news of you _actually_ being gay, you know."

It's not a topic Yifan would like to discuss about over breakfast – or ever – though. He likes his manager and considers Henry his friend, knows that Henry will listen when he's trying to get his point across, but his private life should remain as that: private. It's more than enough that Henry doesn't care which way he swings.

"I'm a man of my words, Henry," Yifan tells him instead, changing the subject matter at hand. "Like you mentioned, I've said on my interview that I'd like to take on jaw-dropping roles, and act opposite Luhan if I had the chance–" His finger falls upon the sketch of the character who's supposed to be his partner and love interest in the movie, and the actor's name which is printed beneath it in gold. "–so what sort of light do you think the public will view me in if I ever declined the offer?"

An intense moment of staring each other down ensues between the two, neither wanting to relent because they both know that their points are valid, but in the end, Henry is the first to give up with a burdened sigh. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"

Despite knowing that the movie might potentially change his life forever – for the better, he hopes, and prays, and not for worse – Yifan smirks confidently at Henry. "Never been surer."

His confirmation is all that's needed for Henry to heave another sigh before he picks up his phone, tapping rapidly across the screen and writing up what Yifan supposes is the affirmation to Xu Jinglei that Yifan will take part in her rather ambitious production. Cereal forgotten, Yifan leans back in his seat and picks up the booklet once again, tracing the gold print on its cover.

相恋之心无罪.

Fault not the hearts which are in love.

This is going to be an interesting project.

ӂ

As expected of the Chinese media, the news of Yifan and Luhan spearheading the cast of Xu Jinglei's latest movie spreads like wildfire on the very next day, even without the need of a press conference. Yifan has long since learned not to question how they obtained their sources, but it doesn't stop him from wondering how exactly they had gotten their hands on the news. There must be someone selling the story to the media from within Xu Jinglei's ranks, but this is probably going to generate nothing but good publicity, considering the line-up of actors and actresses for the movie.

Yifan discovers this when he wakes up one morning because his phone is being spammed with countless Weibo notifications, only to realise that many people, friends and fans alike, have been mentioning his Weibo handle. What's more surprising is that his name is placed alongside Luhan's, and it's not until Yifan logs on to the app and searches for the master post that he realises Xu Jinglei has confirmed the speculations surrounding her upcoming movie and has tagged both Yifan and Luhan in her post, in addition to another familiar name, Wendy Son. Wendy's supposed to star in the role of the mafia leader's daughter, and Yifan's honestly interested in seeing how she fares, trying to play a character which is the complete opposite of her usual roles. He doesn't doubt she will do well, though, so there's that.

Feeling that he should join in on the conversation, Yifan sleepily types up what he hopes is an enthusiastic-sounding post, complete with an obnoxiously massive amount of emoticons, before he lets his phone drop onto the bed beside him and goes back to sleep.

Another notification pops up just then, and Yifan narrows his eyes a little at the screen, in particular when he realises who had just sent him a direct message.

_I'm really looking forward to working with you! It's a great honour! Please guide me well ^^_ , the message reads, accompanied by the username @M鹿M.

Yifan frankly isn't quite amused by the blatant attempt at sucking up to him, but it doesn't stop him from shooting off a quick message in response.

_Likewise._

ӂ

It's a habit of Yifan's, to study his co-stars' acting abilities before actually working with them in person. He does this by watching all the movies which his future co-stars have acted in, scrutinising every detail and picking out the smallest of habits they might subconsciously display on the set. It's not so much about him planning on dishing out advice to his co-stars regarding their expressions and the way they deliver their lines, but to learn of their predilections so that Yifan can complement them better.

It's how he finds himself with a stack of CDs on his coffee table one Sunday afternoon, schedules intentionally freed up with Henry's help, and his trusted friend Yixing seated by his side. He knows Yixing is in the midst of preparing for his solo album, which is why he's infinitely grateful that Yixing has decided not to slot his recording session for that afternoon. It's also a good thing that Yixing is a movie buff, and never does complain when Yifan overloads them both with too many movies in a day that it could be considered outright hazardous for their sanity and their eyesight.

This time, though, it takes Yixing halfway into their first movie, 20 Once Again, to lose his cool. "Seriously, Fan. Stop being so hard on the kid. It's his _debut_ movie." He says, in response to the umpteenth time Yifan has criticised Luhan over his absolute inability to express his feelings adequately with his eyes, saying that Luhan looks more like he's stoned on set.

Yifan, for all that he's critical about details like that, frowns at Yixing as he munches on a handful of popcorn. "I know Director Chen. He'd definitely coach his actors in expressing emotions in the most believable form. This is anything _but_. His eyes are _dead_."

"Like I said," Yixing replies while chewing on his straw, eyes still fixated on the screen, " _Debut_ movie. Can't expect him to be good from the get go, unless he's crazy ass talented in acting."

Yifan isn't buying any of it, and he rolls his eyes. "Well his performance isn't on par with what I had expected from someone who got so popular from the very beginning. Even _I_ did better on my debut movie."

That's when Yixing fixes Yifan with a withering look. "Really? Do you _really_ want to talk about how awkward you were and how painful it was for me to watch Somewhere Only We Know, and how you butchered the Chinese language with your shitty as hell pronunciation–"

"Enough of that." Yixing doesn't get to finish what he's trying to say, though, when Yifan immediately cuts in with a low growl. "I'm denouncing you as my friend. Get out of my apartment."

Yixing only grins unrepentantly as he grabs another fistful of popcorn from the bowl. "Love you too." He quips, before settling back into the sofa and continuing to watch the movie with great interest. Yifan thinks Yixing is lucky that Yifan can't ever begrudge or stay angry at Yixing for long.

ӂ

The first time Yifan actually meets Luhan behind all the cameras is during their script-reading session with Xu Jinglei. As expected of a rookie in the industry, Luhan arrives earlier than Yifan does, and when Yifan steps into the designated suite which had been booked in advance by Xu Jinglei for their meeting that day, Luhan immediately rises from the sofa and bows deeply at him, shouting out a greeting at the same time. It rather takes Yifan by surprise, because he's met other rookies who were in their first year in the industry, yet none of them seem as eager as the man standing before him.

Before he can really say something more than a simple 'hello', though, the director of their movie joins them in the room, and Luhan's already scuttling away to greet the rest of the staff, introducing himself in full earnest as though they don't already know who he is.

"He has such good manners, that kid." A voice speaks up next to him, which nearly makes Yifan jump had he not held himself together just in the nick of time to save him the embarrassment. Having been engrossed in watching Luhan's mannerisms and comparing them to the habits he shows in his movies, Yifan had nearly forgotten that Henry's with him, and when he turns a little to regard his manager, Yifan notices that Henry's observing Luhan with deep interest as well.

"It's only for show." Yifan snorts under his breath, loud enough for only the two of them to hear. "Give it a bit of time. You'll see his true colours soon enough," because he's sceptical enough that Luhan won't let the instant, rapid fame get to his head. All the fast-rising stars do, and Yifan has seen enough of them fall before they can even reach their prime over the years. It will probably take place several months down the line – Yifan can almost see the headlines, quoting anonymous staff members who work behind the scenes of their criticisms about Luhan's poor attitude and arrogant behaviour.

In that sense, Yifan considers himself lucky to have escaped that vicious cycle, since he's had to suffer from rather harsh but humbling criticisms in the earlier stages of his career. No one needs to remember this, but Yifan had hit rock bottom before he had managed to bounce back this strongly. Perhaps, it's what's made him far too jaded for his age, but Yifan doesn't think it's necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, it allows him to maintain a certain level of scepticism towards everything else in the industry. It's an important trait to have, when anyone and everyone's wearing a mask to hide their true selves in their quest of clawing their way to the top.

Henry isn't quite convinced with Yifan's statement though, and he makes this known by scoffing at Yifan. "Not everyone's the same. Who knows? He might just be the one to change your perception once and for all."

It's Yifan's turn to be unconvinced by Henry. "Yeah, we'll see. Only time will tell." He says, his critical gaze never leaving the way Luhan's eyes seem to turn into attractive crescents when he laughs at a joke that one of the staff is telling.

What Henry doesn't know is that Yifan has never met another person who could break the mould, and he doesn't think anyone would betray his expectations any time soon. That's just how the vicious world of entertainment works, and the nicest ones would always, _always_ succumb to the darkness eventually.

ӂ

"Luhan, for the tenth time, they're not _just_ lines." Yifan sighs in exasperation, torn between wanting to give up and to just banish his co-star to the deepest pits of hell. At the very least, Luhan has the decency to look sheepish over his mistake, and when he apologises in earnest yet again, the fight bleeds out of Yifan, leaving behind only the sense of perpetual exhaustion.

Yifan isn't even sure how things had turned out this way, but when he had accepted Xu Jinglei's offer to be a part of the movie, he didn't expect that this would happen – Luhan sitting on the sofa in Yifan's penthouse, dressed in the plainest looking clothes Yifan has seen on him, considering the fact that Yifan would always meet Luhan over formal events or come across his endorsement spreads almost everywhere he goes. In retrospect, while Yifan wishes for nothing more than to see Luhan failing spectacularly, he can't bear to let the movie be a flop, either. He's gone through the entire script, and thinks that the story holds many important hidden messages to the public, and it'd be a waste for it all to go to waste just because the public is turned off by the subpar performance of one of its cast.

Besides, it's another of Xu Jinglei's movies, and Yifan respects her far too much to have the heart to sabotage it. It's the only real reason why he had ever agreed to coaching Luhan in studying the script in the first place, and to teach him the methods of analysing the storyline as well as delivering them in the most convincing way possible.

Right now, though, he's wondering if he should give up, after all. Luhan seems to be struggling a lot with the lines of the script, something which is entirely unexpected for someone of Luhan's calibre, if the media reports and reviews on his performances are to be trusted at all.

"Sorry–" Luhan says for the umpteenth time that morning since they've started rehearsing their lines together. Yifan thinks the future is bleak; they're not even midway through the first scene. It's going to be a long, arduous process, and Yifan isn't even sure if he's willing to sacrifice that much of his time to make this arrangement work. "–it's just that I'm... I'm not very good at playing a role which requires me to be the bad person."

Luhan's words strike Yifan deep within, though, and his memories jog back to the movies he's watched Luhan acting in. There's a recurrent theme surrounding his roles, all characters which are silly and humorous and innocent in a way, definitely nothing as grave and serious as the role Luhan's supposed to play in 相恋之心无罪.

Then Yifan arrives at a brand new realisation about the man who's seated across him. "You're not very confident with your abilities, are you?" He hedges, and the subtle pinking of Luhan's cheeks paints a thousand words. Yifan sighs. This man is really something. "Really? After all the movies you've been casted in as the lead? After being nominated for the Best Actor category in your first year of debut?"

Luhan somewhat shrinks into his seat, gaze downcast. "I was lucky to have had great directors who were all patient enough to lead me along." He tells Yifan, and the comment irks him more than it should. Luhan's still far too green in the entertainment industry, and it shows at times like these.

"No director, in their right frame of mind, would cast a newbie in a leading role if they didn't see the potential in you." Yifan tells him, voice trembling with frustration, because Yifan didn't have such luck with movie makers when he was still a greenhorn trying to make his mark on the silver screen. As much as he wants to deny it, these directors could see the hidden potential Luhan holds, and they're going to do all they can to uncover it all. "They must all see _something_ in you, something good that they're willing to take the risk of providing you with the role. Unless–" Yifan pauses, knowing his next words would rile even the most docile of persons up from the sheer amount of condescension contained in them. "–unless you're trying to say you won over these roles through backhanded methods–"

As expected, Luhan turns a livid shade of red at Yifan's words. Even a rookie like him would have understood the concealed insult, speaking ill of other actors or actresses who depend on sexual favours to earn themselves prominent roles in movies. No one's a saint in the entertainment industry, but they all pretend to be one. It's not as though anyone would deliberately call them out, either; they'd be stupid to pass up on the chance to sleep with these people.

"I would never– Don't you dare insinuate that about me!" Luhan actually raises his voice this time, the anger burning in his eyes, and it's the perfect look he needs to nail the emotions of his character in the first scene.

"That's it!" Yifan exclaims triumphantly, feeling that they're getting _somewhere_ for once. "That's the way you should express your lines!" When Luhan seems utterly confused by the sudden change in mood, Yifan sighs and tries to explain in the most patient manner. "Remember the amount of rage you felt when I tried to accuse you of sleeping around with the directors for the role, and develop your character from there. It's easy to play the role of gangster, and silent anger is the most potent of it all."

It's then that Luhan's eyes brighten up in realisation, and the tension in the air is promptly gone. He scrunches his brows in concentration for a brief moment, before he dives into the dialogue of his character, expressing the emotions seamlessly, something which he hasn't been able to accomplish before this. Yifan smiles a little to himself when Luhan's done, feeling rather accomplished for being able to bring out Luhan's fast-learning abilities in such a short amount of time.

Perhaps their little script-reading session isn't going to be useless, after all.

ӂ

Somehow, after spending a weekend being cooped up in Yifan's penthouse and getting his pride demolished mercilessly by Yifan's incessant criticism, Luhan has ruled him completely _not intimidating_ , which is the exact opposite of what Yifan wants Luhan to think is true. Yifan knows this by the way Luhan seems to have taken to calling Yifan out at the most random of times, ignoring the way Yifan would growl at him over the line for disturbing his sleep at ass o'clock in the morning just to ask if he's up for a burger at the 24-hour joint situated between Luhan's place and his.

 _We're not supposed to binge on fast food while we're filming for a movie_ , Yifan would tell him, _you know the rules; keep your body weight balanced unless explicitly told otherwise by the director_ , but Luhan would always manage to coerce Yifan into succumbing to his whims.

_It's just this once,_ Luhan would say. Yifan has since lost count of the number of times he's heard that phrase, and he thinks it's the most problematic part of it all. He's the senior actor between them both, and he's supposed to keep a firm stand on his stance, but when it comes to Luhan and his requests, Yifan's surprisingly weak against them.

He doesn't even know why, but he's not willing to delve deeper into the matter. It's a waste of his brain matter which is supposed to be invested on memorising the script instead. That, and Luhan proves himself to be great company, even when they're trying to cover up and lay low whilst walking through Beijing's night crowd. They'd pretend that they're in the midst of filming their movies, pulling lines out from random scenes as they go, and it's honestly good practice, from the way Luhan is better able to deliver his lines naturally now.

At least the stubborn man is taking Yifan's advices and pulling out the most vicious thoughts he's ever had about someone else to fall into his role. There's no cause for complain, there.

ӂ

Beads of sweat are rolling down the sides of his face and down his neck, drenching his already-soaked t-shirt even further as he raises his arm guard to block another incoming attack. Yifan already feels sore all over from the amount of physical training he's been doing since the morning, and the pain makes its presence known when the hit lands on him and vibrates through his bones.

While Yifan knows that Xu Jinglei loves to keep the details in her movies as close to reality as possible, it hadn't crossed his mind that she would be reducing the amount of stuntmen who are involved with the filming as well. He knows that it might be quite a challenge to search for someone who's close to his height to serve as his stunt double, but other directors have been successful for the most part. Xu Jinglei, however, surprised them all when she had informed them they had to undergo a month's worth of physical training and lessons in close-quarters combat before the cameras could really start rolling.

The days of his strenuous PT sessions during his time on the varsity basketball team feels so far away now, and Yifan thinks he's seriously, _horrendously_ out of shape when he can't seem to stop panting as he runs around the gym trying to dodge even more attacks from his sparring partner. He already feels light-headed from hyperventilating, and the heat which is emanating off his body is making things worse.

"For someone who played the role of a mafia boss in your last movie, you sure are terrible in this fighting thing," comes the snide comment moments later, which causes Yifan to narrow his eyes threateningly at his partner. Luhan and him have already gone past the stage of keeping formalities by now, and their interactions mostly consist of them trading playful jabs at each other.

( _Odd_ , Henry had said to him one day, _you don't usually become best buds with your co-stars this soon_ , which Yifan kind of agrees but doesn't admit to it. Yifan had shut Henry up by bringing up his never-ending pining for a certain Amber Josephine Liu, the marketing director of Yifan's managing company, and calling him a wimp for not acting upon his feelings, even when it's obvious as hell that Amber reciprocates them.)

For good measure, Yifan aims a roundhouse kick at Luhan, being mindful of the measures their trainer had taught them to avoid giving himself a dislocated hip from pulling the stunt. He smirks when Luhan appears surprised and jumps backwards, narrowly avoiding the tip of Yifan's shoe from grazing his face. "Like you said," Yifan tells him then, "I'm the _boss_. I don't do the fighting. My minions do."

Regardless, Yifan takes on another offensive stance and prepares himself for Luhan's reciprocal moves.

Luhan only laughs – he's almost as breathless as Yifan is, he notes with glee – at his words. "I'm going to make sure you'll get enough of a workout from this, then. _Partner_."

Yifan's just about to come up with another retort when Luhan surprises him in return, launching himself bodily at Yifan and bringing him to the ground, effectively knocking the wind out of Yifan when his back connects painfully with the floor. In the midst of spluttering for air and trying to regain his bearings, Yifan remembers what his trainer had said: if you can't better your opponent with usual moves, then go for the body slam.

"Bastard–" Yifan hisses when he manages to find his voice again, glaring at Luhan who's grinning cheekily down at him. Luhan doesn't seem to sense the imminent danger that's about to befall him and stays on top of Yifan instead, thereby preventing Yifan from even moving. For someone whose frame appears so small, he's surprisingly heavy.

"What?" Luhan almost sing-songs, then he's up in one fluid motion and bouncing to the other end of the room before Yifan can even prop himself up, still grinning triumphantly. Goddamned dancer background of his. "It's fair game, Yifan. I can still bruise you before the cameras start rolling. And besides, bruises are going to be an indispensable part of our roles. Jinglei _jie_ isn't going to fault me for covering you in them."

That does it. Yifan springs back to his feet as fast as he can, and gestures in warning at Luhan. "You are so dead."

Luhan's grin only spreads wider. "Give me your best shot."

Yifan tries not to think about the way his skin feels unnaturally warm, where Luhan had laid pressed close to him earlier, thighs on either side of Yifan's abdomen. He has a personal score to settle right now.

ӂ

As expected, Luhan soon becomes best friends with the actress who plays his other love interest in the movie. Wendy Son had just completed the recording and filming for her newest album's title song, and finally has the time to join them for pre-filming rehearsals, which doesn't pose as a huge problem at all considering her bubbly nature. Although Wendy's playing a crucial role in the movie, her character doesn't appear as often as Yifan's and Luhan's does, which renders her practising time shorter. And, considering how much of a workaholic she can be most of the time, she already has her lines memorised down pat by the time she's able to accommodate the rehearsals in her schedules.

It's amazing, how Luhan can interact with anyone and everyone without the customary period of awkwardness between them. If Yifan has to be honest, he's rather envious of that fact, considering how it takes a long time for him to warm up to others. He's been called a stuck up asshole and an ice prince far too many times to count by now; Yifan had thought he can't even find it in himself to be bothered anymore, but apparently he thought wrong.

Somehow, seeing Luhan being so close to Wendy rather irks Yifan, and the feeling overwhelms him when he finds himself snapping at a joke he seems to have been left out of. "Are you two childhood friends or something?"

If anything, Luhan doesn't seem to be intimidated by Yifan's intonation, and another short laugh escapes him. "What?"

"You seem close. Like you've known each other all your lives." Yifan points out, trying his best to keep his bitterness at a bare minimum. The slight frown of confusion on Wendy's face tells him he's failing though.

"No, this is honestly the first time we've met." Luhan informs, still grinning. "She's great company, obviously."

"I know. It was a rhetorical question, Lu." Yifan rolls his eyes at Luhan, hoping that it'll come across as playful instead of sarcastic. Judging by the laugh that Luhan responds with, Yifan thinks he's managed that, at least.

Then again, Luhan is always easily amused, but Yifan doesn't let himself dwell upon it.

ӂ

They run down the darkened, filthy back alleys of Beijing without sparing as much as a glance behind them, breaths loud and laboured in their own ears and bouncing off the brick walls, jarring in the supposedly calm autumn night. There's a large group of people chasing them down with machetes in their hands, yelling bloody murder and threatening them to stop _or else_. He knows better than to slow his pace down, however – it's much too early for him to die, when he hasn't even made his mark in the world yet.

"Weilong!" The man beside him calls out, syllables coming out in staccatos, and he instinctively turns to look. "We should break up, distract them or something–"

"Are you _insane_ , Zhaoyun?" He hisses back, sure that the light in his eyes are wild from the adrenaline rush. "We stand a better chance going against them together than getting split up!"

"It's easier to hide when you're alone–" Zhaoyun retorts; his nimble feet should carry him away much faster than Weilong's heavier frame can manage, but Zhaoyun is matching his pace instead. Of course, Zhaoyun's loyalty is one thing that Weilong would never doubt. He'd go to the ends of the earth to help his partner out if he has to, something which Zhaoyun has promised him and vice versa. They're as good as stuck together. _Partners for life_.

But Zhaoyun doesn't get to finish his sentence, when their path ahead gets blocked by yet another group of people. This time, the cold sweat does break out on Weilong's forehead, sensing their impending doom. He doesn't let his fear show, though, and he puffs up his chest, keeping the smirk on his face as the leader of the gang which had been chasing them down steps closer to them. Next to him, Zhaoyun does the same, sticking close to Weilong's side. The weight of the handgun is heavy and real in its holster beneath Weilong's shirt; they have the element of surprise here.

"Did you two motherfuckers really think that you could get away with messing with the Shenhua Clan?" The man with a chiselled appearance and strong gaze asked when he's face to face with Weilong.

He knows that this man is Eric Mun, leader of the Shenhua Clan, and his good looks is the only thing that helps conceal the fact that he's the boss of the most dangerous syndicate in China. On the surface, Eric Mun is the CEO of an international trade company, and underneath all the covers, he's running a multi-billion dollar illicit drug business which no one has ever been able to prove. That's where Weilong and Zhaoyun come in, having been officially stripped of their identities as police officers and ordered to infiltrate the syndicate as street thugs. They weren't widely known amongst the ranks of the mafia, something which comes with the fact that they've only been patrolling the streets upon graduating as top ranked students at the academy, a sacrifice which came with the brilliance they'd exhibited. The chief of the Major Crimes Bureau had approached them in private before their graduating ceremony, and had handed them the mission to play themselves off as a pair of corrupt cops so that they'd be removed from the ranks of the police force.

It's a huge sacrifice they were both willing to take, which had eventually led to them stealing the drug stash from the Shenhua Clan in a bid to get inducted into the syndicate. They're rogue thugs, as far as the Shenhua Clan is concerned, a pair whose bravado are much too inflated for their own good to even have thought about crossing the syndicate, and had led to them being chased down by machete-wielding gang members across the deserted streets of Beijing. There were a few passerbys who'd seen them, but Weilong doesn't blame them for wanting to save their own skin instead of calling the police about the impending brawl. At any rate, it helps that their ex-colleagues aren't implicated in their ploy for now. Makes things easier to deal with. Less complications.

"No," Zhaoyun's the first to speak up, much to Weilong's surprise. Of the two, Zhaoyun seems least likely to be indulging himself in illegal activities, when he has such a clean, good boy image that imprints on others, save for the few tattoos covering his arms. They'd be sorry, though, if they ever dared to underestimate Zhaoyun's ability at using daggers and knives. "But it's the only way we have to lure you out, Eric."

Eric cocks his head to the side, seemingly interested by what Zhaoyun had just said. "Lure me out?"

This time, Weilong finds his courage and steps up. The way Zhaoyun's fingers ghost over his wrist, a silent warning to be careful, doesn't go unnoticed by Weilong. "We want to be a part of Shenhua, but your underlings refused to budge. This is the only way we can think of to get your attention, and show you we mean business. We'll give you back the drugs if you agree to our terms."

"I never said the drugs belonged to me. Don't jump into hasty conclusions now." Eric smirks, possibly knowing that if he hadn't refuted Weilong's claims, it could very well implicate him as a drug overlord, and it wouldn't bode well for his company or his social standing. Eric Mun is an extremely cautious man, as evidence by his clean image in the media despite the rumours floating about. This is where the challenge of their mission comes in. "I do not tolerate people messing around in my territory, but I will give you this – you have the balls."

"Does that mean we're in?" Zhaoyun asks, careful to keep his voice neutral.

Eric merely scoffs and turns around to leave. "Think whatever you'd like to think. Back down, boys."

The other members of the Shenhua Clan shoves at Weilong and Zhaoyun in provocation as they pass them by, evidently pissed that they weren't able to get any action after that wild goose chase, but they don't inflict serious harm on the pair. It's not until Eric and his underlings are far out of sight that Weilong and Zhaoyun collapse against the brick walls, laughing their hearts out at their success.

The shrill cry of _Cut!_ coming from the megaphone pulls Yifan out of his Weilong persona and returns him to just that – _Yifan_. The stylists are scrambling to pull them up from the dirty ground of the alley, not wanting them to sit down longer than really necessary, but all Yifan can register is Luhan's warmth pressing against his arm. For someone who'd been deathly worried about his performance before the first shoot, Luhan has done considerably well, getting into character almost immediately.

It's not always that they'd get scenes right on the first shoot, but they've done it this time, and Yifan is a lot happier than he can describe.

"Good job, guys. It's a wrap for today." Xu Jinglei jogs up to them and pats them on the shoulder as encouragement, before turning around to thank the rest of the staff for their hard work, ushering them to clean up so that they can all head home for some much-needed rest. It's almost three in the morning now, and the ambient temperature is much too merciless for an autumn night.

The shiver barely manages to wrack through his body, though, when someone shoves him in the shoulder. Yifan frowns, already exhausted from all the running he's been doing, and glances down at the rude little twerp who'd done it.

Luhan, as usual, grins unrepentantly for his mischief. Yifan wonders how it's possible that someone who's supposedly older than him can look and act so young, but doesn't comment. "Let's head out for some hotpot. I'm starving."

"Seriously?" Yifan scoffs in disbelief, even though he feels tempted to agree. It's cold, and he's hungry and without a companion for supper, considering how he had shooed Henry off before the cameras had started rolling. He isn't cruel enough to make his manager wait in the cold with nothing to do, when there's no saying what time the shooting would end. "It's three in the morning."

Luhan shrugs as he blows into his cupped hands to keep himself warm. "When has that ever stopped us?" He asks, and Yifan hates that he has a point, hates that he can never say no whenever Luhan throws a request at him. _You're so easy_ , he can almost hear Yixing say, and he mentally snaps at the imaginary voice, too.

"Fine," he relents at long last, dragging Luhan by the arm as they bow in gratitude at the filming crew who pass them by. "But you're going to have to work out harder, beginning tomorrow. You have such shitty stamina, and you call yourself an ex-athlete?"

Yifan can barely suppress the smile from showing though, when Luhan squawks indignantly and begins explaining himself animatedly. Just another night in their work diaries.

ӂ

There's nothing more satisfying than having a short break of a day or two from the movie set, especially when they've been working extra hard to cover as many scenes as humanely possible in the shortest amount of time without sacrificing the quality of the movie. By the time the mid-autumn festival rolls around, they've shot almost half of the scenes from the script, which is significantly much faster than any other movie Yifan has ever worked on. He enjoys all the fighting on the set, whether with his bare hands or with weapons, considering that it's the first time he's ever had any hands-on combat while filming, but some rest is much needed for him to recharge for the remainder of the movie.

Of course, Yifan can't thank Xu Jinglei enough for allowing them to take a breather over the mid-autumn festival weekend, even if he can't spend it with his family. Rather – he smiles when someone drapes their arms around his shoulders and hugs him from behind – Jongin has decided to pay him a visit in Beijing, having been granted several days' off from his busy schedules by his company. It's a rare occasion in itself, considering how SME loves working their artistes half to death.

"Won't your family be upset with you for ditching them on Chuseok?" Yifan laughs a little as he pulls Jongin into his lap. It's always like this whenever they've made up their minds to laze around in Yifan's penthouse – both of them walking around the place dressed in bare minimum clothes, so that they could forego the hassle of stripping the articles off each other whenever things would get too frisky. In Yifan's and Jongin's dictionary, it meant at least ninety percent of the time.

Jongin's still naked from their most recent round of sex, purpling bruises standing out brilliantly against olive skin. His cock is already half-hard as it brushes against the skin of Yifan's stomach. There's a smirk on his face as he grinds his ass purposefully against Yifan's clothed crotch, stealing the breath away from him with an open-mouthed kiss. "They can live without me for one Chuseok. Besides, Junmyeon is the only one who's really fussing over the fact that I won't be in Korea for the holidays." He laughs against Yifan's lips. "What? Are you trying to tell me you're already getting sick of me?"

_Junmyeon_ , Yifan thinks vaguely as he pushes Jongin down onto the sofa and spreads his legs apart, _probably wants you to be there with him_. He's seen the way Jongin and Junmyeon interact with each other when they think no one's watching, all intimate whispers and secret smiles and lingering gazes, and wonders if Jongin actually knows what his heart is secretly trying to tell him.

For now, though, Yifan is contented enough that Jongin's willing to spend his time with Yifan, and he makes his appreciation known by probing Jongin's well-fucked rim of muscles with his tongue. "No–" he says while he teases Jongin to hell and back, "–of course not–"

Jongin freezes in the midst of fucking himself down on Yifan's tongue when the doorbell suddenly rings, and his grip is still tight in Yifan's mussed hair as he looks down with an expression that's torn between passion and confusion. "Were you expecting someone?"

Yifan frowns and shakes his head because no, he had made sure Henry won't make unnecessary visits to his penthouse over the holidays, and Yixing's busy with his album promotions and concert preparations to even bother right now. "I wouldn't arrange for people to come when I have you around, you know that." Regardless, he climbs off the sofa and wipes his mouth with a tissue, grabbing his sleeping robe which he had left hanging on the dining chair, fixing his hair a little at the mirror in the doorway. Jongin rests his chin on the backrest of the sofa, watching Yifan with keen eyes with a soft hum of acknowledgement.

Whatever Jongin was trying to say is drowned out by the sound of blood gushing in his ears, though, when Yifan answers the door and finds none other than Luhan staring back up at him. His hair is minimally styled today, a large contrast from the updo Luhan would usually sport during filming, and it makes him look so painfully young. That, and the smile which Luhan graces Yifan with is making him a little light-headed.

"Hi!" Luhan greets cheerfully, oblivious to the confusion on Yifan's face and the fact that he's dressed in only a sleeping robe, smelling probably of sweat and sex. Yifan draws the robe tighter around him when he catches sight of a hickey on his chest from his peripheral vision, cheeks burning slightly in mortification. Everyone knows that celebrities tend to sleep around, but there isn't a need to throw the proof out there for everyone to see. "I figured you might be alone during the holidays, so I came to see if you'd like to join me for–" he continues, only to have a dramatic pause following when he seems to have caught sight of something which is of interest behind Yifan.

This time, it's Luhan's turn to flush red in embarrassment. "O–oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know you had, uh– _company_."

Yifan startles at the comment, whipping around just to find Jongin peeking around the corner of the wall, probably wanting to know who Yifan's guest is. There's one small problem, though; Jongin had forgotten he's essentially walking around stark naked, and Yifan immediately steps into Luhan's line of vision, blocking Jongin from view. This isn't how he had wanted someone else to know of his trysts or his skewed sexual orientation.

And so surprised is Yifan that he doesn't even remember trying to correct Luhan's thoughts. "Uh, I wasn't expecting you." He stutters, desperately praying that Luhan would forget everything he's seen at Yifan's place and not tell a single soul about it. It would as good as destroy Yifan's career, if anyone else ever catches wind that he's gay before he's ready to admit it to the world himself.

"No, no! It's fine!" Luhan gestures frantically, the smile on his face now strained, a hundred-and-eighty degree turn from the one Yifan had seen when he had answered the door. It doesn't suit him, the awkwardness. "I should have called before I came on a whim. I'll just– maybe next time! Enjoy the rest of your break, and I'm sorry to impose!"

Before Yifan could say anything else, though, Luhan is already hightailing away from Yifan's penthouse and disappearing through the doors of the elevator. Yifan could only numbly shut the door behind him, a million and one thoughts running through his mind and wondering what sort of impact Luhan's discovery would bring to the filming set and the easy relationship they have finally managed to build between them.

"That's your co-star, right?" Jongin asks, index finger between his lips again from a habit he can't quit whenever he's curious about something. "He's cute."

_Cute_ isn't exactly the sort of adjective Yifan would use on Luhan, but he can't think of anything else to describe the man right now, so he resorts to grunting in response, allowing Jongin to reel him in again to continue where they had left off.

He definitely doesn't think about Luhan again for the rest of his break.

(He doesn't want to, but Luhan inadvertently slips into his thoughts, anyway.)

ӂ

Contrary to what he had been worrying about, the atmosphere on the filming set doesn't change when Yifan returns to it after the Mid-Autumn Festival break, Jongin having travelled back to Seoul just hours prior. Luhan doesn't mention the incident either, doesn't probe about Jongin and Yifan's relationship with him, which is more than Yifan can be thankful for.

They'd exchange playful banter between scenes, only to switch into a serious mood to compliment the grave tones of the movie, almost like nothing had happened at all. Luhan doesn't even keep his distance from Yifan, which is a good thing, too, and Yifan nurtures a newfound respect for the man and his professionalism. The first rule of the entertainment industry is not to bring personal emotions and conflicts onto the movie set, failing which might lead to the destruction of their careers the moment malicious gossips start to spread. Neither of them can afford that right now, when they're in the prime of their careers.

They're about halfway through the filming, almost close to the climax of the movie, and it's another outdoor scene with lots of fighting and chasing down. It's never easy, all this running around, but at least they've both worked out enough to ensure that their stamina doesn't run out too soon, what with the multiple takes required to perfect a scene with various camera views. Yifan thinks it's a good thing, bonding with Luhan through sports, and they've given each other enough bruises with all the messing around they've been doing along the way. It's in good nature, though, considering how they'd save the makeup artists some trouble to add more bruises on their bodies, when they already have enough naturally-gained ones on them.

Luhan's saying something while Yifan is completely immersed in his script, trying to get some last minute fine-tuning and memorising in, and he looks up, dazed, when Luhan nudges him in the side. "Sorry, what? I wasn't paying attention."

Thankfully Luhan isn't one to take offense over his inattention, and he grins at Yifan from behind his shades. "I was asking, have you had any experience in kissing another guy before?" He repeats himself, and only when Yifan chokes on his coffee does Luhan realise what he's said, probably remembering the incident where he had disrupted Yifan and Jongin's fun time, and he immediately scrambles to explain himself. "On set, I mean. On set. Uh. You know what, forget it."

"Nah," Yifan shrugs it off. He's not ashamed of his sexuality per se, but he's still keen on keeping it a secret for the sheer reason that he's going to draw a lot of condemnation which he'd rather avoid. People's mouths can be so loose, after all. And comes with a distinct lack of filter at the same time. Yifan _would_ wash their mouths out with bleach if it's legal for him to do so, considering the disgusting things that come out of them more often than they should. "Don't worry about it. Whatever you're guessing about Jongin and I, you probably have it right."

"So are you both like – serious or something?" Luhan asks, and the genuine curiosity in his voice is too obvious to ignore. It startles a laugh out of Yifan, but he's careful to keep his voice low in case anyone else is eavesdropping on their conversation. At least Luhan has enough sense to ask him the question when their stylists are out of earshot, and their assistants are away getting drinks for them.

"No, Christ!" He wheezes, clearing his throat once again and straightening himself in his seat when several curious gazes turn towards them. He waves them off as naturally as he can, only answering Luhan when he's sure no one is going to approach them. "It's just... fun, if you know what I mean. A no-strings-attached thing."

Luhan's cheeks colour when he finally catches on to Yifan's words, but he looks oddly... _relieved_ at the same time. "Ah," he quips moments later, scratching awkwardly at the side of his face. "I see. I'm still really sorry for disturbing you the other day, though."

"Don't worry about it. Why are you asking this out of the blue, though?" Yifan prompts, only to look down at Luhan's finger when he flips through the script and points at something which had caught his interest. He definitely pales at the part which has been obnoxiously highlighted in bright pink.

Oh, damn. How could he have missed that at all?

ӂ

Several conflicting emotions hang so thick in the air – Anger. Relief. Frustration. Annoyance. Adoration. – that it's difficult for Weilong to pick them apart as he comes face to face with Zhaoyun after what seems like forever. If he were looking at themselves from a different vantage point, Weilong would have found humour in it, what with the contrasting state they're both in. Zhaoyun, though visibly shaken, is relatively unscathed, while Weilong appears as though he's weathered through a storm, his body covered in a multitude of cuts and bruises and open wounds, and his hand is pressed hard against his side to stop an actively bleeding gap.

Zhaoyun takes a step forward, nothing more. Weilong flinches when he's fixed with a furious glare, knowing what must be on Zhaoyun's mind before he even speaks up. Indeed, his words pack a greater punch than his glare does; Zhaoyun may appear relatively harmless on the surface, and makes an unlikely candidate for a member of a mafia gang, but he definitely knows how to use his words in a way that pierces one's defences. Even after being his partner for so long, Weilong has not managed to find a way around that just yet.

"How _could_ you?" Zhaoyun hisses. Three simple words, and Weilong can already feel his smile going numb around its edges. He can remember how he had ran down the streets of Beijing with Zhaoyun by his side, a large group of people chasing after them screaming bloody murder in broad daylight, forcing themselves through the crowded Beijing streets as they try their hardest to not get any innocent pedestrians injured along the way.

This time, though, they hadn't been escaping from the Shenhua Clan, but another rival group which views them as a great threat that must be killed at all costs. Within several months of joining the Shenhua Clan, Weilong and Zhaoyun have managed to carve a name for themselves in the underworld, having successfully sealed several large drug deals and overseeing multiple betting pools, beating out their competitors by a huge margin. They've managed to surge to the top tier of the group, wielding more power than they had ever imagined they would, for a pair who'd been placed under extremely watchful eyes by Eric in the beginning.

(It's a bit of a cheap thrill, making a mad dash for their lives like this, and Weilong rather takes pride in being able to excel in being both a police and a member of a mafia. No one needs to know about the former, though. Not now.)

Weilong is also reminded of the way he had pulled Zhaoyun into a deserted alley and knocked him out before the other thugs had managed to catch up to them, hiding Zhaoyun behind a stack of crates before offering himself up as bait. Weilong doesn't know why he had done that, but his subconscious mind tells him that he wants Zhaoyun to be safe, at the very least. "Do you remember what you told me the other time? That it's easier to hide when you're alone?" He prompts, and his words _definitely_ ticked Zhaoyun off.

"And you said we stand a better chance if we faced up to them together." Zhaoyun says calmly, quietly, and that surprises Weilong because he had expected to be yelled at. He can deal with a Zhaoyun who's outwardly furious; at least Weilong can pin him against the wall and hold him there until Zhaoyun calms down, but he doesn't know what the hell he should do with the Zhaoyun that's standing before him right now, seething beneath the surface. "You could have gotten yourself _killed_."

"Better one of us than both, right?" Weilong tries again, though it only serves to agitate Zhaoyun further. Zhaoyun is already crossing the rest of the distance that separates them when Weilong blinks next, and a pained growl escapes his throat when Zhaoyun purposefully digs his knuckles into the wound in Weilong's abdomen.

"Don't get yourself killed in action before we're even halfway through our mission, you fucking _idiot_." Zhaoyun hisses through clenched teeth this time, and he's practically in Weilong's face, fuming from frustration. It's a good thing they're the only ones left behind, or they might be murdered by their clan members before they can even start running. "What if I hadn't been able to get the guys from the clan to help? You would've been left to bleed to death on the streets."

Weilong lets a shaky laugh escape. He hadn't considered it earlier, but perhaps his decision hadn't been the brightest. Zhengshu, their handler, would definitely be extremely upset with his thoughtlessness. Then again, what Zhengshu doesn't know will not hurt him. "But you did, and that's all that matters, isn't it? I'm safe. I'm here."

The angry light in Zhaoyun's eyes is unrelenting. "And bleeding continuously. You're in a catastrophic state." His knuckles dig just a little deeper, and Weilong swears he might pass out from the pain if Zhaoyun doesn't back off. 

Weilong licks his lips then, focusing on the thought which he'd been entertaining before he had knocked Zhaoyun out. As much as they'd both like to deny, being a part of the Shenhua Clan is eroding their sanity and their grip on reality bit by slow bit. It's so easy to lose himself in a world without rules, where the winner of a game is decided over guns and violence and cunningness. He would have succumbed to the immense temptation and the promise of inexhaustible wealth, had Zhaoyun not been there to keep him pegged to their initial goal when they had infiltrated the Shenhua Clan.

But above all that, Weilong wants to ensure that Zhaoyun remains safe through it all, and it's the thought that drives him to raise a bloodied hand to caress Zhaoyun's cheeks. At this point of time, when he'd been so close to dying, nothing else seems to matter anymore – except for his overwhelming desire for Zhaoyun to know how he feels about him. "I'd do anything to make sure you survive." He whispers, and the fight seems to have dissipated completely from Zhaoyun, who looks up at him with wide eyes.

"What are you saying?"

Weilong smiles thinly. "You have the wits to survive longer than I do, when we're in such a corrupt world. If anyone can complete the mission successfully, it's you."

He's caught off-guard when Zhaoyun suddenly grabs him by the front of his shirt. "You're not allowed to say things like that, Wang Weilong." Zhaoyun says, and Weilong isn't blind to the conflict on his features. "Zhengshu put us in this together, and I am going to make sure we finish this in the exact same way – _together_."

"Still–"

"Weilong, shut up." Zhaoyun cuts him off, and it's Weilong's turn to go wide-eyed when his partner surges forth and catches his lips in a kiss. Through all the times he's had Zhaoyun by his side, Weilong has never dared to harbour the hopes that Zhaoyun views him as anything more than a partner, never dared to hope that Zhaoyun would ever reciprocate his feelings. He has no reason to. But now – now Weilong isn't quite sure about that anymore.

Weilong is about to close his eyes and immerse into the kiss when Yifan becomes acutely aware of the cameras whirring close to capture the moment, and the magic is instantly lost. He's had his fair share of on-screen kisses before, but Yifan can't ever get used to having them filmed at such a close proximity. It's then that Luhan tugs at the front of his shirt and pulls him just a little closer, a silent reminder to stick to their act. Yifan isn't sure if Luhan's doing it on purpose, but he inhales sharply when he feels Luhan licking at the seam between his lips, trying to get Yifan to open up.

It's only when Luhan is digging his knuckles into his chest (his actions are probably subtle, considering how Jinglei hasn't called for them to stop just yet) does Yifan decide to just screw it and let himself go, immersing himself in the kiss in a way he'd always exchange with Jongin, his hand coming up to support the back of Luhan's neck. Now that he's focusing more on Luhan rather than on the cameras, Yifan finds that Luhan's lips are surprisingly soft, and he can taste the lemon-flavoured chapstick the makeup artists have slathered onto Luhan's lips prior to the shoot. He also learns that for all Luhan claims that he doesn't have much experience in kissing in front of the cameras, he's surprisingly at ease as the filming crew continue to capture everything. 

It's intoxicating, the taste of mint and coffee on Luhan's lips and on his tongue. Yifan vaguely thinks that he can keep going, that he doesn't want to stop, not really – not when it's so easy for him to savour the way Luhan's smaller frame fits perfectly against him, the way Luhan seems to melt in his arms as Yifan deepens the kiss. And Yifan can't stop himself from smiling down at Luhan with his eyes closed in perfect bliss when they break apart to breathe moments later. Luhan mirrors his expressions, fingers digging just a little deeper into the front of Yifan's shirt as he allows his breaths to even out. 

It feels like an eternity has passed them by when Jinglei finally cuts the scene, and Yifan can't help but feel as though he's just had an out of body experience. He reluctantly lets Luhan go when Jinglei comes over and fusses over them, congratulating them for a job well done and for being professional enough to not let the fact that they're of the same gender get in the way. His eyes never do leave Luhan's face as he grins back at Jinglei, playing down her praises as humbling – she doesn't have to know that he's actually done this multiple times before, in the comforts of his own home.

Nevertheless, what _really_ catches Yifan's attention is the way Luhan's eyes are slightly glazed over, and how the pads of his fingers linger on his lips for a moment longer than really necessary. 

"Luhan? Are you okay?" Another staff member calls out when Luhan spaces out for far too long, probably lost in his own thoughts. Yifan isn't oblivious to the way Luhan jumps at the sound of his name, or how the blood drains from his face, like a child who had been caught doing something he shouldn't be doing. 

"Fine," Luhan says without missing a beat, the bright smile plastered back on his face in a flash, "I'm fine. Takes a little time for me to get out of character, is all." 

Yifan doesn't know why, but instinct tells him that Luhan's lying, even when the others don't put much thought into Luhan's explanation and laughs at Luhan for taking things way too seriously. He licks his chapped lips, tasting the mint and coffee all over again. "Are you up for dinner, later?" He asks, putting his suspicions to the test.

As expected, Luhan shakes his head in response. "I'll pass this time, sorry. I'm a little tired after the all-nighters we've been pulling," Luhan tells him, before he rushes after his manager and leaves Yifan behind with the makeup crew who are currently scrambling to remove the fake blood from his skin. 

Yifan _definitely_ doesn't miss the way Luhan had avoided looking Yifan in the eyes throughout their short exchange, something which is rare in itself, because Luhan would always, _always_ pay full attention on the person who's speaking. He can't help but wonder why.

ӂ

Luhan is a very confusing person.

Yifan comes to that conclusion on their next scheduled shooting, when Luhan walks onto the set with a bright smile directed at him and exuding none of the awkwardness from where they had left off the other day. He isn't sure if Luhan's no longer bothered by their on-screen kiss, or if Luhan's a _really_ good actor, but Yifan doesn't press for answers or explanations for Luhan's aberrant reactions. 

Yifan is also a very confused person. 

He finds out during the exact same shooting, while he's watching Luhan's filming session from the side. This time, it's Wendy's turn to make a long-awaited appearance before the cameras, and he'd be damned if she doesn't look gorgeous for it. Sticking true to the character of a mafia leader's daughter, her eyes are painted with a thick rim of kohl, bringing out the sharpness in her gaze, and her outfit is as provocative as it gets. Yifan can't and won't deny that Wendy is very, very attractive, but he can't help his attention from wandering back to Luhan whenever the man speaks up. 

Yifan has never really felt _jealous_ whenever his male co-stars act opposite another actress, but Luhan proves himself to be different from the rest. He's rather envious of how at ease a relative rookie like Luhan can be in front of the cameras, flirting heavily with their co-star and falling perfectly into character without having to adjust himself much. There's mirth and genuine enjoyment dancing in Luhan's eyes as he locks gazes with Wendy's Zifang, their breaths mingling in what little space they have left between their faces, and Yifan has to look away when they finally kiss. 

It's only the briefest touch of lips, nothing like the deep kiss Yifan and Luhan had shared during their previous scene, but it has gotten Yifan feeling rather sick within, even though he knows it's part of the script, that Zhaoyun is supposed to make Zifang fall for him so that he'll be able to dig up the secrets that her father Eric is hiding. 

"Whoa," someone suddenly says in his ear, causing Yifan to jump. It's a good thing his throat has clamped up automatically, or he might've hurtled a chain of audible expletives and interrupted the filming process. That, Yifan will never let himself live down. "Cool down with that glare, or you might actually set someone on fire." 

It's not after a moment longer that something clicks in Yifan's head, and he turns to his left just in time to see Yixing sliding into the chair next to him. Yixing's responding smile is incredibly obnoxious. "Yixing?" Yifan hisses through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here? It's a private filming session!" 

Yixing has a look of mock surprise as his eyebrows shoot up at Yifan's question. "Did Jinglei _jie_ not mention? I'm singing the OST for your movie." He asks, but the grin that follows is smug again. "So, new beau? Whatever happened to that kid? _Kai_ , was it?"

Yifan swears that if it wasn't because of the fact that they're in public eye, he would have pounced on Yixing and pounded the hell out of him for saying Jongin's name aloud. He's always known that Yixing somehow knew about his relationship with Jongin, but _still_. Instead, he settles for a bristling, "Yixing, don't mention about Zhongren in the open." 

He isn't sure if Yixing has finally started to take him seriously, but his friend pretends to pull an invisible zip across his mouth, indicating that he's going to drop the subject on Jongin. Unfortunately, Yifan can't say the same about the _other_ topic of Yixing's interest. "Fine, if you put it that way. I distinctively remember you demolishing your fellow actor's performance on his other movies, though." Yixing reminds him then, which causes Yifan to groan aloud. It's not something he's very proud of right now, not after having spent enough time with Luhan and getting to know all the insecurities Luhan's harbouring over his acting skills. "What gives?"

Yifan surreptitiously rubs at the tip of his nose and averts his gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really now." Yixing deadpans, and the weight of his gaze on Yifan tells him that Yixing isn't at all convinced. "I know the way you look at Luhan. It's the same way you used to look at J–"

Before Yixing could really complete his sentence and incur Yifan's wrath with the mention of his past he would rather leave forgotten, a new voice joins them just in time. "Hi! I overheard my name in your conversation. Were you talking about me?" 

It's a good thing Yifan no longer flails outwardly whenever his gossiping sessions are being overheard, and he flashes an easy smile at Luhan who drops himself in the chair reserved for him. A group of stylists immediately crowd around him to fix his makeup, something which Yifan himself is all too used to seeing by now. "No, Yixing was just being annoying." He says, which earns him a dark look and a flip of the finger from Yixing. 

As if recognising the name, Luhan immediately sits up in attention, eyes wide and almost comical as he exclaims, "Yixing? _The_ Zhang Yixing?" Yifan swears Luhan would have hopped right out of his seat, if it wasn't for the fact that the makeup artist is still performing some final touch-ups over Luhan's eyelids and forehead. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I didn't recognise you with the shades on, but I'm a fan of your music!" 

Yixing's expressions abruptly changes into one of saccharine sweetness seconds later, when he leans forward to regard Luhan who's on Yifan's other side. Yifan can only groan and bury his face into his hands at what's about to come, knowing there's nothing he can do to shut Yixing up when he's in his element. "Really? That's a great honour. Yifan has been telling me a lot about you." 

"I did not–" Yifan starts to protest at the same time that Luhan says, "Oh, really? What did he say about me?", and he really just wants to die in a hole from mortification at the accusation. Thankfully, Jinglei comes to Yifan's rescue by rounding the filming crew up to redo some of Luhan's and Wendy's scenes which she had found less than satisfactory. The pout Luhan flashes, though, is devastating. 

"Well, darn. I have to go." He sighs, almost dramatically, and Yifan thinks he's dead for thinking that Luhan sounds endearing. "We should continue on this conversation some other time. It's nice meeting you, Yixing!" 

"Nice meeting you too," Yixing waves in a purposefully obnoxious way to annoy Yifan. The moment Luhan's out of earshot, Yixing grins at Yifan once again. "He's definitely a keeper, alright." 

"Fuck you, Yixing," is all that Yifan can manage, as he slumps in his seat in defeat. One day he's actually going to murder his best friend, and no one's going to stop him.

ӂ

It's awkward. Yifan knows it shouldn't be, not when he has enough experience in this department, albeit all of it happening off-camera, but it is.

When Yifan had first seen the script all those months ago, he didn't even bat an eyelash at the realisation that there's going to be a semi-sexual scene. He thinks it's a part of the natural progression of Weilong and Zhaoyun's relationship, when Zhaoyun had nearly died from an ambush by someone from the Shenhua Clan. The man who had initiated the attack had been downright livid to learn that Zhaoyun had gotten to the boss's daughter, and was eager to oust Zhaoyun in a blatant tussle for power. The man has since been dealt with accordingly by Eric Mun, who detests when infighting occurs in his clan. The rules are simple – you're allowed to fight amongst yourselves, as long as the boss doesn't hear about it, and if he does, the instigator is as good as dead. 

The scene unfolds with Weilong tending to Zhaoyun's wounds in their usual hideout after he's saved Zhaoyun from the massacre, with gentle hands that's uncharacteristic of Weilong who's usually brash and rough. Tension had been running high between the partners for a while now, ever since the kiss they had exchanged (which no one talked about), and Zhaoyun's subsequent hook-up with Zifang (which Zhaoyun had initiated without prior discussion with Weilong or their handler). Zhaoyun jumps a little every time needle pierces through skin, the pain unable to be dulled completely even with anaesthetics, but in a sense, Weilong thinks that Zhaoyun is a lot braver than he usually portrays himself to be. His teeth are gritted as he bears the pain in stride, uttering not a single word or sound as Weilong tries to complete the stitching job as quickly as he can. 

"It's okay to yell, you know." Weilong speaks up silently when he sees Zhaoyun's knuckles turning white from his peripheral vision. He's been on the receiving end of these needles many times now; he knows how excruciating the process can be, especially when Zhaoyun refuses to take any of the morphine Weilong has offered to him for pain relief. _I'm never going to touch these drugs, Weilong_ , Zhaoyun had told him once, and he doesn't doubt that his partner would stick to his vow, no matter how dire the situation. It's the only way they can keep themselves relatively clean, and avoid succumbing to the immense temptation of these drugs. 

"F–ine," Zhaoyun grits out again, his breathing becoming a little more laboured as Weilong works on the final cut on his back. "I'm fine. Don't stop." 

(In some ways, Yifan thinks that Luhan is a lot like his character, who's incredibly strong-willed yet always suffers in silence, not wanting to drag the others down with him. It's with such thoughts lingering in his mind that Yifan delivers his next lines–)

"You don't have to pretend to be strong, Zhaoyun. Not in front of me. Haven't we been through _enough_ together, for you to lower your guard when you're with me?" He breathes, but his hands don't stop working at the cuts which are thankfully superficial. At the very least, they won't have to worry much about Zhaoyun getting a serious infection from them. 

Zhaoyun stills for a long moment, leaving a rather uncomfortable silence settling between them while Weilong continues to stitch him up, as if contemplating on what he should say in response to Weilong's accusation. It's only when Weilong puts his equipment down on a metal tray that Zhaoyun finally turns around to look at him, the expression in his eyes almost unreadable. "None of this is pretend, Weilong." He says, quietly. "I've always showed you the truest sides of myself, no lies, no concealment."

"Really?" Weilong scoffs at Zhaoyun's words in spite of himself; (Yifan frowns a little in confusion at Luhan's troubled expressions–) "It's rather unbelievable, when you keep making all these decisions on your own. We're supposed to be _partners_ , Zhaoyun. What's all this push and pull game about?" 

"Push and pull?" Zhaoyun (Luhan?) raises his voice this time, the anger flaring in his eyes, and Yifan finds himself getting washed along. "Is that how you label what we have between us?" 

Another laughter of self-derision escapes Weilong. " _What_ exactly can be used to label our relationship, apart from being partners? I'd really like to know." 

Now hurt washes over Zhaoyun's expressions, and Weilong finds himself wondering how it's possible for one person to have so many façades in a short period of time. He doesn't understand his partner anymore. "Are you trying to say that all that we've been through together – the near deaths, the _kiss_ – they don't mean a thing to you?" Zhaoyun's tone is now extremely soft, as if betrayed, and Yifan can feel his own heart twist painfully in his chest in lieu of Weilong's emotions.

(He can only hope that the pain will be reflected on his expressions, because he's never felt an emotion this real before while the cameras are rolling. Yifan doesn't dwell upon it for long, however; he knows his performance will be affected if he puts too much thought into his acting.)

_They don't_ , Weilong wants to say, to save them both the eventual pain and torment that would come, but before he could even get a single word out, Zhaoyun has already closed the distance between their faces. This time, the kiss is waiting, hesitant, nothing like the desperate one they had shared not long ago. It's fascinating, how one kiss can encompass everything they're feeling deep within – their fears, hopes, _wants_ – and Weilong gasps aloud when Zhaoyun presses in further, impatience seeping in from Weilong's lack of response. 

Except this time, Weilong is done lying to himself that he doesn't feel anything for Zhaoyun, who has been his partner and close friend for so long, and he greatly craves for more. It's with such thoughts that drive him to grind up against Zhaoyun's groin, smirking satisfactorily when he realises he isn't the only one who's bothered. When they part for air, Weilong's hands come to rest on the zip of Zhaoyun's jeans, eyes boring into Zhaoyun's and silently seeking for permission. With one decisive nod, Weilong pulls the zip down, and Yifan can so vividly imagine the scene panning out into darkness after the final edits have been made. 

Even when Jinglei calls 'cut', though, Luhan still lies heavy in Yifan's lap, as if in a daze. It's always like this when they have to film intimate scenes together, and Luhan would take longer than usual to snap out of character and back to reality. Yifan isn't quite complaining, though – Luhan's weight atop him is oddly comforting, more so than Jongin's can ever be, but Yifan decides to ignore the warning bells in his head. 

"Great job as usual, you two." Jinglei beams when she comes over to where they're still seated and huddled together, though there's a pang of disappointment bubbling within Yifan's chest when Luhan finally snaps out of his daze and clambers off Yifan's lap almost immediately. The pink dusting Luhan's cheeks is a sight to behold, but the next thing Jinglei says to Yifan effectively has his heart stopping. "You gave me a heart attack back there, Yifan – a _good_ one. I liked your impromptu script change, but don't scare me with them anymore, would you?"

Yifan blinks, unable to comprehend what Jinglei is trying to tell him. "What are you talking about, Lei _jie_? What script change?" 

"You mean you didn't notice? Wait." Jinglei says as she drags him over to the panel of monitors, and hits the play button on what they've just recorded. Yifan's knuckles are white around his script as he tries to trace where he had went off on a tangent, and _oh shit_ is the only thing Yifan can think of when he finds it, the part where Weilong had accused Zhaoyun of not letting his guard down enough. 

Yifan quickly turns around in search of Luhan, wanting to question him silently, _why did you not let me know I wasn't following the script?_ , but Luhan was already nowhere to be found. 

(He doesn't forget the way Luhan's erection has been straining against his pants, much like Yifan's own had.)

ӂ 

A game of push and pull – that's what they _really_ are, and Yifan doesn't know if he should be laughing over the fact that he'd spoken his truest thoughts while filming the scene with Luhan the other day. Yifan no longer becomes surprised or confused whenever Luhan acts distant upon returning to the set after a particularly intimate or emotionally-charged scene, only to revert to his usual cheerful self by the time the day ends, as if all that intentional avoiding had never happened.

Yifan doesn't ever ask why, either, because he doesn't know where they stand, or how their relationship would change should he confront Luhan about the issue. He's more than comfortable with the way things are now, even if he knows he feels a little _more_ for Luhan – not that he wants to know what it means, either. He's had enough role models before him, seen enough co-stars who have gotten together or fallen in love during the duration of their filming, only to have a bad fallout right before the shooting for their movie or drama wraps up. And Yifan is sure that many others can see how strained the actors' expressions would become towards the end of these productions, the damage done by their fallout almost irreparable, thus affecting their professionalism even if the actors themselves might not admit to it. 

If anyone from the crew has noticed their recent hot-and-cold moments, no one has gone out of their way to point it out, except for Henry who has commented that _you and Luhan have been acting weird around each other a lot these days_. Yifan, of course, doesn't give his manager the pleasure of knowing that he's right, or he won't be hearing the end of it any time soon.

This day, it's back to the pulling part of the game they're unknowingly playing, where Luhan is decidedly friendly with him, and Yifan's long legs are knocking against Luhan's underneath the table of the booth they're hiding themselves in. They'd been discovered by both their fans while walking on the streets earlier, and were recognised fairly easily despite the disguises they had put on, which caused a wild goose chase to ensue. It's only by sheer luck that they had managed to duck into a restaurant undetected, and an autograph from each of them is but a small price to pay to keep the waitresses' mouths shut on their whereabouts. Yifan remembers the way Luhan had covered his mouth and laughed into his hand when the group of fans who'd been chasing them down ran past the store, and he remembers being taken by it, the way Luhan's eyes had turned into attractive crescents. 

Somehow, it's small things like these that makes Yifan regret he had ever judged Luhan to be the same as all the other fast-rising stars, and had expected for him to show his true colours of arrogance and haughtiness after striking a small success. Yifan knows now that Luhan is anything _but_ the things Yifan had thought about him. 

"Remind me again why I thought it was a good idea to go shopping with you in broad daylight?" Yifan asks, tone accusatory but lacking heat as he sips on his glass of Sprite. The coldness running down his throat is welcoming. 

Opposite him, Luhan laughs again, this time open-mouthed and genuinely delighted. They've both discarded their shades and hats to the side by then, thinking that the interior of the shop is safe enough for them to do so. The blatant ogling from the waitresses is much too easy to ignore when Yifan and Luhan are in their own space like this. "Because we were evidently too bored." Luhan says. "And, co-stars need their bonding time too. Work on our tacit understanding and the sort."

Yifan scrunches his nose and narrows his eyes at Luhan. "I've had enough of seeing you on set, Lu. Give me a break." 

Luhan clutches his chest in mock hurt, evidently catching on to Yifan's joke. "I thought you were my good partner, Wu. How could you?" The way he delivers those lines sounds hilarious, and Yifan actually bursts out laughing. Luhan, on the other hand, looks smug from being able to incite such a response from Yifan. 

Yifan's shocked into silence, though, when Luhan speaks up moments later and says, "You should laugh like that more. It's a bit difficult to be around you when you have that uptight expression all the time."

"Do you really think so?" Yifan's voice is quiet now, eyes uncertain as he looks up at Luhan from his drink. Having been in the industry for so long, Yifan has learned not to care about the opinions the others have of him, but for once, he's intrigued. "It's not _that_ hard to interact with me, is it?" 

"You can be pretty intimidating at first–" Luhan flashes a disarming smile at Yifan, and Yifan just _knows_ he's in deep trouble when his heart actually stops for a moment. "–but it's surprisingly easy to get along well with you. I admired you a lot before I met you, and I think I admire you even more now."

Luhan's honest words are a bit overwhelming, and Yifan can feel his cheeks growing warm at the compliment. He's not used to being complimented like this, not with such sincerity, and he can't stop the scowl from forming on his face. "Flattery will get you nowhere, punk." 

"I didn't peg you to be someone who'd blush from a small compliment," Luhan shoots back, the smug smile obvious, "but your secret's safe with me – in exchange for something else, though." 

"I _knew_ it. You're the type to blackmail others!" Yifan hisses, though he's sure Luhan knows it's meant as a joke. "You're really suited for your cunning role, after all." 

"So what if I am?" Luhan plays along with Yifan and challenges back, pulling out his phone from his pocket and logging onto Weibo. "Deal or no deal? I'm going to expose your dirty little secret in a while if you say no." 

"You leave me with no choice." Yifan sighs dramatically, defeated, and Luhan immediately stops typing. The gleeful smile on his face is much too bright for the dim interior of the store, but Yifan doesn't think he'd exchange this for anything else. "Fine, shoot." 

When Luhan had asked for Yifan's silence in exchange for a request, he hadn't expected for Luhan to _actually_ have something in mind. He does become curious, though, when Luhan suddenly appears to be unsure of himself. It's a reminiscence of all those months ago, when Luhan had been sceptical over his own abilities at portraying his role of Zhaoyun well – and frankly, Yifan doesn't like it at all.

"How... did you find out that you, well, _like_ the same sex?" 

For a moment, Yifan is thrown into a state of extreme confusion, not having anticipated the question from Luhan. And _then_ he lets out a startled laugh. "Is that what you really wanted to know? Why the sudden question?" 

Luhan tries to shrug nonchalantly, but Yifan can tell he's feeling rather bothered and troubled deep within. The uncertainty is reflected plainly in the way he's looking at Yifan. "Just... curious. It's fine if you don't want to answer, though. I know it's a sensitive question, and I have no right–"

"I've always been bisexual, ever since I've been in high school." Yifan cut him off with a small smile, knowing Luhan would ramble on and shut himself off when the uncertainty gets the better of him. Luhan seems mildly surprised for a moment, but doesn't say more, opting to listen to Yifan's story instead. "Growing up in Canada, you could say things were more... _liberal_ there. There was a lot of experimenting going on, which escalated when I got into the entertainment industry because hey, everyone's bored, but no one wants to get caught with their pants down by the paparazzi. 

"All of it – the sneaking around, going against societal taboos by sleeping with those of the same sex – they're all cheap thrills we seek when we grow far too jaded by the industry. I guess, having my ex cheat on me only cemented my desire to be with men. It's a lame excuse, I know." 

"Hey," Luhan's voice is soft when he reaches across the table to hold Yifan's hand, which is a surprise in its own. "Everyone has a different coping mechanism to deal with their losses. I won't fault you for choosing this as yours." 

Yifan grins a little at Luhan's words. "Why has this become a comforting session? I've been over it long ago." He says, even though it's a partial lie. No one ever _gets over_ Jessica Jung, if the things he's learned about her long list of ex-boyfriends is anything to go by. "Why did you suddenly ask me this, though?" 

"Nothing," Luhan says a little too quickly, and changes the subject even more rapidly. Yifan's a little suspicious, but he doesn't prod any further, knowing Luhan will retreat into his own shell if he accidentally broaches a sensitive issue. 

Watching Luhan's small gestures and excited expressions when he speaks is a far more interesting thing to do, anyway.

ӂ

It's rather maddening, with the amount of onscreen kisses and dry humping scenes they have to share after their characters had finally confessed that they viewed the other as more than just colleagues and mere partners. Trying to survive in the dirty underworld with their sanity and integrity still intact is a gargantuan task, and Weilong and Zhaoyun counteracts the stress by sleeping with each other whenever they get the chance – which equals to all the times they've narrowly survived dangerous drug deals and ambushes from rival gangs.

It's not as though Yifan begrudges them; not at all. But it _is_ frustrating, having to live with the sexual tension that lingers long after they've filmed their scenes together. It definitely doesn't help that these scenes progressively get raunchier as Weilong and Zhaoyun become more embroiled with each other's lives, to the point where they can no longer differentiate where Wang Weilong ends and Lin Zhaoyun begins. 

The latest scene proves to be the greatest challenge yet, when they have to strip down to their bare skin to consummate their relationship. It's meant to be a symbolistic representation, of them pulling their own defences apart and trusting each other unconditionally with their lives, their everything. While Yifan has filmed some rather sexual scenes with other actresses in the past, and is no longer a stranger to having to appear naked for the cameras, this is _different_ , if only because it's Luhan acting opposite him.

For all that Luhan seems innocent on the surface, Yifan has learned through the hard way that he _can_ make the most erotic of faces when he's turned on. Yifan has watched enough reruns of their scenes together to commit these faces to mind, and he has spent many a night with his hand down the waistband of his boxers, jerking himself off slowly to the memories of Luhan writhing beneath him, panting open-mouthed and baring his neck for Yifan – _Weilong_ – to take. It's rather frightening, how Luhan is slowly replacing Jongin in most of Yifan's wet dreams, especially when all they've been doing is rubbing against each other's crotches in front of the cameras. Besides, Yifan has grown to acknowledge that he _wants_ to know more about Luhan off-cameras, exploring the bits and pieces of him which Luhan has yet to show Yifan. Luhan is always surprising Yifan with something new whenever they meet, and Yifan has never been more interested in his co-star – or anyone else in his life, for that matter – before. 

( _You like him_ , Henry had said in a very matter-of-fact way when he had caught Yifan laughing at a message Luhan had sent him, and was rewarded with a pillow in his face. Henry has always been observant, but it's the very first time Yifan had wished he wasn't.

_And what about Kai?_ , Henry had also asked. Yifan knows they're nothing more than a frequent fling whenever Jongin flies to Beijing, but it still triggers the guilt in him.)

Luhan's more detached than usual when he walks onto the set in only his bathrobe, fingers gripping tightly onto its material and pulling it shut around him. It's different from the atmosphere which surrounds them in all their previous scenes together – it's infinitely more awkward and stifling this time, and Yifan decidedly doesn't like it. He's used to seeing Luhan invading the set like a ball of sunshine, smiling and greeting everyone in sight with his infectious enthusiasm despite the rather dark setting of their movie, not _this_ Luhan who's a nervous wreck and avoiding his eyes like the plague. 

It's not as though Yifan hadn't tried talking to Luhan about the scene. He _had_ , but Luhan had told him he'll figure things out on his own, and that he'll need a couple of days to prepare himself for the eventual filming. Yifan had trusted in him, because Luhan is someone who would keep his promises, but it's becoming obvious that all Luhan had been doing was to chew on his lips until it's all cracked, if the incensed shriek coming from the makeup artist is anything to go by. 

The only time Luhan had gotten close enough to Yifan for the day's filming is when Jinglei calls for everyone to take their respective places. Nerve-racking doesn't even cut it when Luhan comes to stand in front of Yifan, his face almost bare of makeup but still appearing absolutely flawless, and Yifan's own heart races in his chest. Up until now, the most intimate of their scenes have been filmed with their clothes on, apart from the occasional open shirt or two. But things are going to change from that day on, considering how they're expected to film an all-out bed scene with the escalation of Weilong and Zhaoyun's feelings, and the desperation they feel deep within to keep each other close. Even if Jinglei has promised to preserve their modesty when the movie finally goes onto the silver screens, it still doesn't discount the fact that they're supposed to have non-penetrative sex in full view of the filming crew. Yifan doesn't even know if he should be thankful that Jinglei had limited the filming crew to a bare minimum amount of people, so as to prevent things from getting much too awkward for all the parties involved. What he does know, though, is that he's the one who had signed up for this after going through the script and the major plot points, and he's going to stick with it. He's also sure that Luhan feels the same way; they're expected to work professionally, and they _will_ give their all. 

The smile Luhan flashes at Jinglei is weak when she gives them a last-minute pep talk, which Jinglei seems to understand and reciprocates with an encouraging squeeze of his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. The both of you are one of the most professional people I have ever had the honour of working with, and I'm sure you'll be able to pull it off well. You've had amazing chemistry so far." 

"Yeah. Okay," Luhan says, the nervousness evident in the slight tremble of his voice and in the way his tongue darts out to lick at his already-chapped lips. Yifan can hear the sharp intake of breath coming from the makeup artist behind him, but she doesn't scream in the presence of Jinglei. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired, is all. Didn't quite sleep well the night before."

"Don't worry," Jinglei tells him again, her motherly side coming out as she pulls him into a comforting hug. "Just let me know if you get too uncomfortable. We'll change things up." 

Yifan steps up to Luhan when Jinglei heads back to the monitoring panel, requesting for all irrelevant personnel to step out of the set in preparation for the upcoming filming. He's not sure if Luhan would welcome his touches when they're about to film something more intimate than they can ever imagine, so he opts to nudge at the shorter man gently with his shoulder instead. At the very least, he's successful in commanding Luhan's attention, and he grins at Luhan in what he hopes is encouraging enough. "Stop overthinking things. It's going to come off as awkward, and I don't know about you, but I don't think I can handle multiple retakes of our upcoming scene." 

He's comforted by the fact that his words are able to incite a laugh from Luhan, and the tension between them lifts ever so slightly. "No, definitely not." 

"Let me take the lead." Yifan suggests, and with a brief nod from Luhan and the signal from Jinglei, they step into their positions, taking deep breaths to calm their nerves and fall into character. The stylist comes forth to retrieve their robes moments later, leaving them standing stark naked on set, and Weilong latches his lips onto Zhaoyun's the moment the cameras start rolling. 

It's always nice, being able to exchange kisses with Luhan on set, because Luhan would respond with equal fervour, drawing his emotions from the feelings Zhaoyun's supposed to harbour for Weilong. Yifan feels as though his body is burning up from a high-grade fever when Luhan's hands wander down his back to rest on his hips, and Yifan cants his groin into Luhan's, earning a surprised gasp from him. 

There are no lines in this scene – there's no need for them, not when they're supposed to portray Weilong's and Zhaoyun's deep-seated affections for each other through actions. This time, the act of passion is not one of fulfilment of desires, but one made to express their love. Yifan has heard of the praises the other directors have rained upon Luhan, that he's able to harvest the most intense of emotions from within when the need arises, and Luhan definitely doesn't disappoint. It's then that he realises he's never asked Luhan the most essential of questions, if Luhan has had sex with someone else before, but Yifan figures it's not something of concern, when Luhan's body is reacting naturally to Yifan's ministrations.

And he's never heard of something so obscenely stimulating before, the gasps and pants and moans pouring out of Luhan's mouth making it seem as though he's really enjoying this, enjoying the way Yifan's lips are mapping his pale skin. Slowly, Yifan backs Luhan into the table in the middle of their makeshift apartment, lips and hands never leaving Luhan's body, and he pulls a high-pitched keen from Luhan when his tongue darts out to lick at Luhan's pert nipple. The delicious shudder that wracks through Luhan's body only serves to spur Yifan on, and he turns Luhan around, pressing him against the table as he continues to plant feather-light kisses on the expanse of Luhan's back. 

"Don't leave me," Yifan says in lieu of Weilong's desperation to keep Zhaoyun with him. It's after Weilong had discovered that Zhaoyun had slept with Zifang for the sake of convincing her that he's genuinely interested in her, and Weilong's jealousy flares, knowing that he'll eventually lose Zhaoyun to Zifang. There's no way Zhaoyun can detach himself from Zifang, now that she's being trained to take over the dark empire of the Shenhua Clan from her father. She's the only source they have to uncover the large-scale drug deal Eric Mun is planning on unleashing upon China, and they're desperate enough to do anything at all to achieve their goal of busting it. Zhengshu is already breathing down their necks, their superiors unhappy that Weilong and Zhaoyun are taking such a long while to get their jobs done. 

"I won't–" Zhaoyun-Luhan gasps in response, and Yifan's made aware of how painfully hard he is when Luhan presses back into Yifan's groin. They both are; Luhan's erection feels heavy in Yifan's palm when he wraps his arms around Luhan's waist and reaches down to jerk him off, the precum leaking out of his tip. "Take all of me. I'm yours, Weilong–" 

If Yifan hadn't been aware of the cameras surrounding them at the very last moment, zooming in to capture their facial expressions and their sweat-stained body, he would have made the mistake of pushing his fingers past Luhan's tight rim of muscles by now. It's only by sheer willpower that he's able to hold himself back at all, and he focuses on doing the scene the way Jinglei had instructed them to, spreading Luhan's legs further apart and thrusting into the thin air between Luhan's warm skin. He doesn't know if Luhan's still in control of his own body, but Yifan can't find it in himself to mind the way Luhan's rubbing himself up against Yifan. The way their cocks are brushing against each other is dizzying, and Yifan reaches his climax in an embarrassingly fast time with several more thrusts, Luhan following him soon after, his cum coating Yifan's hand which continues to jerk him off through his orgasm high. 

Yifan doesn't know if his mind is playing tricks on him in his post-orgasm haze, but he thinks one of them might have said _I love you_ , and that _definitely_ isn't a part of the script. Everything else follows in a blur, and when Yifan comes to, he's already dressed in a bathrobe again, his fingers wiped clean of the mess Luhan had made earlier. Luhan's back to his detached self, excusing himself in record time before Jinglei can even begin to congratulate them for a job well done, his manager teetering after him in haste after muttering a string of apologies on Luhan's behalf.

It doesn't stop Yifan from feeling hollow deep within, left behind with so many things left unsaid.

ӂ

If Luhan had been acting hot-and-cold towards Yifan before, he's downright cold now, after their latest sex scene on set. He doesn't ever want to sit within a ten-metre radius around Yifan anymore if he can help it, excusing himself to places which only he knows the moment Jinglei lets them off for a break between scenes. It's like he can't stand being anywhere close to Yifan, and would throw every reason in the world out to explain his absence.

At times when they're filming outdoors and there's nowhere else for him to hide, considering the legion of fangirls waiting to maul them the moment they break away from the filming crew, Luhan would spend his time chatting freely with Wendy instead. The green-eyed monster in Yifan comes out to play rather frequently these days, when he watches Luhan and Wendy laughing heartily at a private joke, feeling left out and ignored. But he also knows that he can't get any closer to the pair, considering how Luhan would immediately clam up the moment Yifan comes into sight, and his expressions would turn tense without fail. 

Things have taken such a bad turn that even _Jinglei_ notices the tension between them, though whenever she asks what's wrong, Yifan would play it off as exhaustion plaguing them both, that they'll solve the problems between them soon enough. It's probably a good thing that Weilong and Zhaoyun's relationship in the movie is getting strained as well from the chain of events that's driving a wedge between them; Yifan doesn't really know what he'll do, if Weilong has to act friendly with Zhaoyun on set when Luhan won't even look him in the eye. The tension is sure to show, no matter how good they are at hiding it. 

Yifan doesn't know what's worse, though, when he receives a message from Jongin on the morning he's supposed to film a pivotal scene with Luhan which will change Weilong and Zhaoyun's relationship forever. While it's not a rare occurrence to receive messages from Jongin, it's one that shocks the last of the sleep out from Yifan's system. 

_Guess what?_ , the text reads, a simple one on the surface, but the photo which accompanies it is more than enough to make Yifan's eyes go wide. And he doesn't even mean it in the obscene kind of way, considering how Jongin has a knack of sending Yifan photos of him lying naked in bed with his cock already hard and leaking in his hand every now and then. It's a photo of Jongin locking lips with Kim Junmyeon, the leader of his group, and all Yifan can think of at that particular moment is _finally_. Jongin has been involved in a push-and-pull game with Junmyeon himself for the longest time ever, and would laugh it off whenever Yifan comments that he should just tell Junmyeon how he feels, but Jongin is Jongin and his self-confidence is low enough to believe that Junmyeon doesn't like him _that_ way. 

Then again, with the confirmation of their relationship, Yifan can feel the burden and the guilt melting away from him. He's genuinely happy that Jongin has finally found someone to care for him on a deeper level than Yifan can ever provide, and he's glad that he won't have to feel remorseful for dreaming about Luhan a lot more than he should be doing any longer. 

The frightening part of all this, though, is how Yifan shares the news with Luhan before anyone else – even before Yixing, who has known about Yifan's fling with Jongin far longer than Luhan had. He doesn't know what he's expecting by doing so, but it probably isn't the way his heart shatters when he doesn't receive a reply from Luhan, even though his Whatsapp chat shows that Luhan has read his message.

ӂ

"What about us?" Weilong asks quietly, eyes boring holes into Zhaoyun's back. The hurt from being ignored that morning, even when they had walked onto set together, still gnaws at Yifan, and he taps into those strong emotions and tries to convey them in his words. It's ironic, how his script matches his current mood, but Yifan would be an idiot to not use them to his advantage. It's the scene where Weilong confronts Zhaoyun upon learning of his engagement to Zifang, and _hurt_ is much too mild a word to describe his internal feelings at that moment. _Betrayed_ doesn't even cut close, when he realises that Zhaoyun had made such a drastic move for the sake of their mission without even discussing about things with Weilong or their handler.

"What about _us_ , Weilong?" Zhaoyun shoots back, and proceeds to stare Weilong down with a gaze so intense it suffocates him, chills him to the bones. When the silence becomes protracted, a self-deprecating smirk shows on Zhaoyun's face. "That's right, we're partners, nothing more. We've always done things your way, now let's do it _my_ way."

Weilong looks down at Zhaoyun, hoping that he can see the desperation in his eyes. "At the cost of your happiness?" He whispers, packing as much punch in his words as he possibly can, but Zhaoyun doesn't even budge. He's still staring steadily back at Weilong, the expression in his eyes betraying none of his inner thoughts. "Is that really worth it?" 

Another laugh, and Zhaoyun's already turning to leave. Yifan feels a lot like he's just been punched in the gut by the steeliness in Luhan's eyes when he looks at him, and he staggers a little from the impact. "We've been stuck here for five _years_ , Weilong. I'm not delusional enough to believe we can still be happy. Not anymore."

"Everything we've been through–" Yifan speaks up again when Jinglei is about to cut the scene, knowing perfectly well that this isn't part of the script, but he ignores the shocked expression on Jinglei's face. He'll deal with this later. Besides, judging from the way Luhan looks at him with a frown, Yifan's sure that Luhan understands that this is directed at _him_ , not at Zhaoyun. "–do they really mean nothing to you?" He thinks about the messages Luhan has ignored lately, the invitations he's rejected, the cold shoulders he's given Yifan, and it fuels the frustration deep within. Yifan doesn't know if he's being delusional, but he's not blind to the way Luhan's gaze always seems to linger upon him when he thinks Yifan isn't looking, only to turn away in haste when he's been caught. And Yifan's desperate to know where exactly they stand, if there's something more to the way Luhan looks at him and how he always seems to ask Yifan out the moment he gets the opportunity. 

But Luhan doesn't take the bait. There's only a split second of hesitance which appears on Luhan's face before it's replaced by his steely expressions again, the words coming out of his mouth colder than anything else Yifan has heard from him. "Don't delude yourself into thinking we can have anything _more_ , Weilong. It doesn't work that way; not anymore." 

Jinglei immediately stops them from filming on when Luhan walks off the set, probably knowing that Yifan would continue saying something else if she hadn't. Luhan whirls around the moment the cameras are switched off, eyes hard and devoid of emotions as he says, "I apologise for being rude, _qianbei_ , but what exactly are you up to by changing the script as you please?" 

Yifan ignores Luhan's jab and turns to the director instead. "Lei _jie_ , excuse us for a short moment. I need to have a talk with him. I'll explain later." He says, and before Jinglei can say another word, he's already dragging Luhan away to another area of the warehouse they're currently filming in, wanting to get some privacy to themselves while he tries to dissolve the Cold War between them both. Luhan's surprisingly strong when he attempts to wrest himself out of Yifan's hold, but Yifan isn't known for his determination for nothing. He intends to talk things through with Luhan today, and he will not let Luhan out of his sight until he achieves his goal. 

"Let _go_ of me!" Luhan snarls when Yifan drags him into a secluded room, far enough for their conversation to not be heard by the rest of the filming crew. For good measure, Yifan stands in between Luhan and the doorway, in order to prevent Luhan from walking out on him. "What the fuck is your problem, anyway?" 

"Shedding your innocent image now, are you? Finally decided that you've had enough of being nice?" Yifan asks sardonically, knowing it'll strike a nerve within Luhan, and Luhan confirms this by hissing back at him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What is _wrong_ with you?" 

"Me?" Yifan questions mockingly, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I should be the one asking you that. You were the one who tries to be all buddy-buddy with me at first, and then you pretend like I don't even _fucking exist_. Do you think it's amusing, because I definitely _don't_!" 

Luhan averts his gaze at Yifan's words, but his expressions are still moulded into one of anger. "I don't know what you're talking about, Yifan. You're making a mountain out of a molehill." 

"Say that to my face, and I'll believe you." In a fit of rage, Yifan grabs Luhan by his shoulders and forces Luhan to look at him. By now, Yifan has given up trying to deny his feelings for Luhan, considering how Luhan would never fail to slip into his thoughts throughout the day. A day spent without talking to Luhan would practically drive Yifan up the wall, and the way Luhan is ignoring him as of late is even more maddening. There may have been a time when Yifan had wanted to watch Luhan fail with his own eyes – but not now, not anymore. How can he not give in, when Luhan has always made sure to match up to him in the best possible way? Maybe Yifan's wrong about the people who are embroiled in the entertainment industry. Maybe not everyone would get tainted along the way. "Explain why you're suddenly ignoring all my messages, why you're trying to avoid talking to me." 

Still, Luhan's stubborn enough to avoid the subject. "You're overthinking things–"

"You're _driving me crazy_!" Yifan cuts him off angrily, feeling extremely frustrated that Luhan isn't _listening_. "Whenever I'm on set with you, all I can think about is how much I want the words on my script to be true – that you would understand how much I care about you and I. Can't. Stop!" 

This time, Luhan finally, finally hears him, and his eyes widen in surprise, evidently not quite believing Yifan's words. The confusion is evident in the way he blurts out a soft "what?", and it takes all of Yifan's willpower to not force a kiss on him. Even though he's had enough of running away from his feelings for Luhan, Yifan doesn't want to ruin what fragile remnants of the friendship they still have between them, doesn't want their feud to affect the remainder of their filming sessions. They're already so close to the end, and it'd be a terrible shame if they can't even force a temporary truce until they're done. 

Yifan chalks up the last of his courage that's fast slipping out of his fingers, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Luhan's. So it shall be if this is the last time he'll ever get to be this close to Luhan. He's worn out to the bones from everything which has been happening to him as of late, and he can no longer be bothered. "I like you, you idiot. I like you and you can't even see it." 

What happens next, though, has Yifan's heart nearly lurching out of his throat when Luhan suddenly wraps his arms around Yifan's neck and pulls him in for a _kiss_. He's stunned for a long moment, trying to make sense of what's happening because he _must_ be dreaming, until Luhan murmurs impatiently against his lips. "If you told me all of that as part of a stupid act to trick me, I am going to castrate you." 

His words startle a laugh out of Yifan, but then Yifan's kissing him back almost immediately, feeling completely relieved that Luhan actually reciprocates his feelings, if the way he's pressing close to Yifan is anything to go by.

Yifan can feel Luhan's smile against his lips and his warm breaths fanning across his face when they break apart to breathe moments later. "We're both idiots," Yifan says, and Luhan laughs again.

"No, _you're_ the idiot." Luhan shoots back, but he doesn't stop planting feather-light kisses on Yifan's lips even as he tells Yifan, "We better get back before Jinglei _jie_ sends for a search party."

Yifan reels him in for one last kiss before leading Luhan back to where they'd come from. "We're going to have a long talk tonight, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." 

(And by 'talking', Yifan had meant they'd be spending time getting to know each other on a more intimate level instead. He finds out later in the evening that Luhan had caught on to the hidden meaning behind his words perfectly fine.)

ӂ

**e p i l o g u e**

 

It feels as though they've come full circle, when they step onto the red carpet together – only this time, Yifan and Luhan have decided to arrive in the same limousine for the awards ceremony, in part to generate even more publicity for their movie. No one needs to know that Yifan and Luhan are actually lovers, much like their characters in the movie. Not _yet_ , anyway, and it gives them the freedom to sit next to each other in the ceremony hall without generating unnecessary gossip.

They're up against each other yet again that evening, both contending for the title of Best Actor, which is something unprecedented considering that they're both representing the same piece of work. Then again, 相恋之心无罪 had hit the metaphorical jackpot of the entertainment industry that year, raking in numerous recognitions both locally and internationally, even winning an honorary mention on the Cannes Film Festival. It almost makes it seem as though Jinglei's initial worries that her movie would be shunned for touching on the sensitive topic of LGBT had been completely unfounded, and it gives both Yifan and Luhan the extra courage they need to be together. 

When the scene of Weilong cradling a dying Zhaoyun in his arms plays on screen – Zhaoyun had confessed that he's the undercover agent to protect Weilong's identity when Eric had found out – the screams are practically deafening, and Yifan grins from ear to ear as he takes Luhan's hand in his. At this point of time, he doesn't even care if it gets caught on cameras anymore, not with what he's about to do. 

The moment he's announced as the winner of the coveted award, Yifan walks on stage with confident strides, though unlike the previous year, Yifan actually pulls Luhan along instead of gloating at him. Fervent murmurs accompany his bold act, all wondering what exactly Yifan's trying to do. The surprise and confusion is reflected on Jinglei's face as well, which makes things all the more satisfying while they continue to keep everyone else guessing.

Still, Yifan's grin doesn't falter as he lets go of Luhan's hand to receive his award, before they both turn around to face the crowd. He makes sure to drag Luhan to stand in line with him when he notices how Luhan's a step behind him, and he takes Luhan's hand in his once again as he makes his winning speech. 

"Things have come a full round, and many interesting incidents have happened in the past year." He says confidently, hearing his voice booming from the speakers, and the crowd quiets down to listen to what Yifan has to say. "This movie, with all its boldness, has taught me a lot of invaluable lessons – most of it in terms of effective communication, and letting the person you care about know how exactly you feel. It's never a good idea to leave the other party in the dark, and bravery is essential in allowing your relationship to progress."

Loud cheers erupt from the crowd in acknowledgement of his advice, and Yifan squeezes Luhan's hand just a little tighter. They've talked about this over the last couple of weeks, and are both in agreement that this ceremony is as good a time as any to make one of the most important announcements in their lives. But the nervous butterflies are still fluttering around in his stomach, even if he has Luhan beside him. Luhan seems to be able to sense it though, and he stands a little closer to Yifan, nudging him in encouragement. 

Yifan flashes a grateful smile at Luhan, and inhales deeply before continuing on his speech once again. He's going to do this for the both of them. He _has_ to. "There are many people to whom I owe my gratitude to – Jinglei _jie_ , Henry, Yixing, and the rest of the filming crew – but especially so to someone who has made a great impact on my life. Without _this man_ –" Yifan places extra emphasis on his words, and hears the crowd getting riled up at the implication behind his words, "–this award will not have been possible. Remember, fault not the hearts which are in love, and with that, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to dedicate this award to none other than Luhan."

With the end of his flamboyant announcement of their relationship, Yifan swoops down and makes a show of kissing Luhan in full view of everyone, wanting them to know that he hadn't meant it as a joke. Both him and Luhan are serious about each other, and even if this will affect their careers in one way or another, there are no regrets. At the very least, they will still have each other even if the entire world decides to turn their backs on them, and it's all that Yifan needs right now.

Judging by the way Luhan holds on tight to him, Yifan's sure that Luhan shares his sentiments, too.

**Author's Note:**

> \- English title is not the exact translation of the Chinese title of the movie; I’m terribly sorry but I couldn’t think of a better one, haha.  
> \- Weilong (威龙) = mighty dragon ; Zhaoyun (朝云) = lit: towards the clouds ; I couldn’t resist ;P  
> \- Zhengshu is actually Park Jungsoo (Leeteuk) of SuJu  
> \- Woops, no porn, sorry to disappoint  
> \- Cookies for you if you managed to follow the change between Weilong/Yifan and Zhaoyun/Luhan :D


End file.
